Cheetah tourism or safari parks are not scientific approach to open ecosystem conservation
Photo for representation: iStock After almost five months of confinement in the boma (enclosure), four cheetahs — three males and one female — have been released in the wild.
Agni, Vayu, Pawan (previously called Oban) and Veera were released in the free-ranging conditions of Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh this week. This is the second release of the cheetahs in the park who were brought inside the enclosure in July and August earlier this year, citing health check-ups.
After the first release of cheetahs since their arrival in India from South Africa and Namibia, the deaths of three cheetahs within weeks due to septicaemia compelled the forest officials to bring the cheetahs for health check-ups about five months ago. However, they have never been released since then.
The release also comes with concerns reported about the availability of adequate prey by officials of the Steering Committee. The committee consists of officials from different government bodies who take decisions on the monitoring and welfare of the wild cats. The concern was reportedly expressed in a meeting held in October.
Experts working for the welfare of the wild cats, however, expressed concerns over the impact of the cheetahs on their breeding and questioned the methods by which the objectives of the project were being achieved.
A scientist requesting anonymity and closely associated with the project said, “The cheetahs have been in India for 15 months. Out of that, around 10 months have been in captivity. Now the cheetahs may face a new challenge with breeding.”
The scientist said that captive cheetahs are bred in the early years, when they are around 2-3 years old. However, as they grow older to around 4 years, which is still considered fertile or reproductive years for wild cheetahs, the case becomes weaker for their captive counterparts given the lack of mating opportunities.
Read more: Cheetah reintroduction ‘highly complex’, more sites needed as reserves, expert says
The female cheetahs lose their fertility. “In the current scenario, the female cheetahs do not have enough opportunities to mate, which can create a risky environment,” the expert said.
The scientist said that female cheetahs go into heat for a couple of days every 2-3 weeks. “That is the time when male cheetahs should be in the vicinity to sense and have physical reach to interact and mate. With the cheetahs confined individually for months, this opportunity has been absent,” it added.
The expert cited that such an event has already been reported at Kuno when two male cheetahs, Agni and Vayu, now released at KNP, killed a female cheetah, Daksha.
“The officials will have to be very careful and cautious when introducing the cheetahs of opposite sexes. Rather than intervening, organic mating should be allowed, but ensure that male cheetahs with milder behaviour and not aggressive ones are in their proximity,” the scientist explained.
However, another expert not associated with the project said, “Of course the confinement of cheetahs would have biological and behavioural impacts. But the fundamental question still remains. How are these cheetahs going to help conserve natural ecosystems and open grasslands?”
Read more: Mismanagement, negligence and political pressure are killing Kuno cheetahs
The expert said he has learned about the plans for a cheetah safari park for tourism in KNP. “How is this conservation? And how is this step of making a cheetah safari park going to save threatened grassland species such as the great Indian bustard, caracals and others?” he questioned.
The scientist claimed that the government's and the forest officials' methods are completely unprofessional and unscientific. “Africa has a protocol not to keep cheetahs captive for more than three months, as they are aware that it brings changes and weakens the ability of cheetahs to acclimatise in the wild. There seems to be no protocol created to be followed in India,” he added.
He also questioned that if all is well with the cheetahs imported from Africa, why were they kept captive and others still not released?
Uttam Sharma, chief conservator of forests, told Down To Earth there were no issues with the prey base at KNP. “The cheetahs have adequate food,” he said. A prey base assessment is carried out regularly but that is not a concern for cheetahs, Sharma added.
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